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It was beautiful in every way, and not at all what I expected to find. The mountains, the trees and the falling leaves perfectly surrounded a group of warm hearted strangers in the forrest of Eastern China. As a 22 year old thousands of miles from home, I've never felt more welcome. Money lay across the table and I stood watching, fascinated as people took turns on the pool table. The cue ball in one corner and the eight ball in the another. One shot across the table to knock in the eight ball, with wagers placed before each shot. It sounded easy, but that was indeed not the case. You see the shots never went straight on that old pool table. It was warped from the rains and covered with leaves, twigs and berries. That seemed to be the appeal. Until the last second, no one knew if the shot would go in. Spectators would laugh when shots went awry and cheer when they went in. It was marvelous. Everyone was so alive in that moment and I couldn't stop watching. Sensing my fascination, the man in charge of the game pointed to me and waved me to the table. He pointed to the five yen on the table and then smiled and pointed to me. The language barrier was large, but the implications were clear. Put down your five yen and take your best shop. I smiled widely. I couldn't believe they were letting me play. I felt like the six year old version of myself who just made new friends. I put my five yen on the table, lined up and took my best shot. It skidded and hopped across the table, never a chance. Everyone laughed but I smiled even bigger. They felt like old friends, giving someone they had known for years a good natured teasing. The man collected my five yen and pointed back to the table. Another round? I couldn't say no. I laid my five yen on the table and again took my best shot. This time the eight ball went in! People cheered! It was incredible, I couldn't stop smiling. It felt like I'd known them for years. The man gave me the five yen and put another five yen on the table. Again? I had to try, we couldn't end in a tie. I lined up and once again took my best shot. In what can only be described as anticlimactic, the cue ball hit twig after twig and barely made it halfway across the table. Everyone laughed, I laughed and the man running the game laughed as he collected my five yen. But before he waved the next person to the table, something incredible happened. The man running the game pulled something out from under the pool table. A set of five miniature dolls, modeled after the mascot for the Beijing Olympics. It was 2008 and the Olympics were just a few months away. He proudly handed me the mini dolls as a gift for playing and then pulled out a camera. He pointed to the camera and I couldn't shake my head yes fast enough. He wanted a picture with me?! It was too amazing for words! The man running the game and several of the spectators jumped in and we all took a picture together. Strangers smiling at the base of a mountain, with an old pool table to thank for our interaction. It was beautiful. As a college student studying abroad there was only one thought on my mind as I boarded the bus to leave Tiger Hill Pagoda that day. How happy I was to have ignored my professor's advice and wandered the mountains alone. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Now if I could only find a copy of that picture.